Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many explosions caused by improvised explosive devices were recorded by the armed forces in Afghanistan in  (a) 2007,  (b) 2008 and  (c) 2009 to date.

Bob Ainsworth: Records of incidents for the whole of Afghanistan are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	Data are more readily available for attacks within Regional Command (South), which includes the vast majority of UK forces deployed to Afghanistan.
	The following table shows all improvised explosive device detonations in Regional Command (South):
	
		
			   2007  2008  2009 
			 January 20 54 83 
			 February 19 44 78 
			 March 31 55 85 
			 April 26 76 74 
			 May 61 64 98

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what investigations his Department has undertaken into incidents involving civilian death or injury as a result of the use by British forces of enhanced blast munitions in Afghanistan.

Bob Ainsworth: UK forces thoroughly investigate all reports of civilian casualties in Afghanistan, regardless of their potential cause. We regret incidents where civilians are accidentally killed as a result of actions by UK armed forces. In addition to investigating all reports of civilian casualties, procedures are in place, and being constantly updated in the light of experience, to minimise the risk of these casualties occurring.
	received in 2008 that was classified as 'not resolvable' or 'withheld in full', and list any exemptions that applied. I will also set out simplified reasons for those that have required more than 40 working days on top of the statutory 20 working day period.

Departmental Manpower

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many  (a) regular military,  (b) Territorial Army and other part-time military and  (c) civilian personnel were employed by his Department in (i) total, (ii) Yorkshire and the Humber, (iii) North Yorkshire and (iv) City of York in each year since 1997.

Kevan Jones: Regular military strength breakdown by Government office region prior to 2002, local authority level breakdown of MOD Civilians prior to 2006 and stationed location of Volunteer Reserve personnel are not held centrally and cannot be provided without incurring disproportionate cost.
	The following table shows the total Regular Service, Civilian and Volunteer Reserve Force Strengths. Civilian strength is reported as full-time equivalents (FTE) and includes MOD permanent and casual personnel, trading funds, royal fleet auxiliaries and locally engaged civilians.
	
		
			Volunteer reserve force  
			   Regular military personnel( 1)  Naval reserves( 2)  Territorial army( 3)  Royal auxiliary air force  MOD civilian personnel 
			 1997 210,820 4,260 n/a 2,020 133,330 
			 1998 210,140 4,440 n/a 2,490 126,290 
			 1999 208,640 4,520 n/a 2,620 123,010 
			 2000 207,610 4,820 n/a 2,740 121,290 
			 2001 205,650 4,830 n/a 2,570 118,170 
			 2002 204,680 4,980 n/a 2,590 110,090 
			 2003 206,910 4,910 n/a 2,580 107,580 
			 2004 207,020 4,480 38,320 2,580 109,050 
			 2005 201,100 4,360 37,260 2,450 108,470 
			 2006 195,850 n/a 38,460 2,300 103,380 
			 2007(4) 190,400 3,680 36,790 (p)2,160 97,690 
			 2008(5) 187,060 3,590 (p)35,020 (p)2,200 89,500 
			 2009(6) 188,370 n/a (p)35,350 n/a 86,620 
		
	
	The following table shows the strength of regular military and civilian personnel in North Yorkshire. Civilian strength is reported in full-time equivalent (FTE) for MOD permanent and casual personnel only. Local authority level breakdown excludes trading funds, royal fleet auxiliaries and locally engaged civilians.
	
		
			   Regular military personne( 1)  MOD civilian personnel 
			 2002 12,000 n/a 
			 2003(7) n/a n/a 
			 2004(7) n/a n/a 
			 2005 12,690 n/a 
			 2006 11,880 2,000 
			 2007 12,540 1,980 
			 2008 12,140 1,950 
			 2009 13,310 1,930 
		
	
	The following table shows the strength of regular military and civilian personnel in City of York. Civilian strength is reported in full-time equivalent (FTE) for MOD permanent and casual personnel only. Local authority level breakdown excludes trading funds, royal fleet auxiliaries and locally engaged civilians.
	
		
			   Regular military personnel( 1)  MOD civilian personnel 
			 2002 640 n/a 
			 2003(7) n/a n/a 
			 2004(7) n/a n/a 
			 2005 730 n/a 
			 2006 710 760 
			 2007 800 650 
			 2008 840 650 
			 2009 880 680 
			 n/a = not available p = provisional (1) UK Regular forces includes all trained and untrained personnel. Gurkhas, full-time Reserve personnel, and mobilised reservists are excluded. (2) Includes the Royal Naval Reserve and Royal Marine Reserve. (3) Territorial Army data prior to 2004 are not available. (4) 2007 Territorial Army data are as at 1 March. (5) 2008 Territorial Army data are as at 1 June. (6) Data on Naval Reserves and Royal Auxiliary Air Force at 1 April 2009 are due to be published in September 2009 (7) 2003-04 Regular military stationed location figures are not available because of concerns over data quality.  Note: Figures are rounded to the nearest 10, numbers ending in 5 have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to avoid systematic bias.